Breaking Down
by Master thief Gray Shadow
Summary: In the small hours of the morning, Karen sees a side of Maya she didn't even know existed.


She didn't want to open her eyes, even if she was awake. Opening them was admitting defeat, surrendering herself to never getting back to sleep, and Karen would not sink to that level. Even if her parched throat ached for just a little water she wouldn't give in. She wouldn't. She'd go right back to sleep and next thing she'd know Mahiru was trying to drag her out of bed again. She didn't need any water, not until morning. Karen swallowed in a vain attempt to alleviate the dry feeling even if just a little. She would not get up for any reason.

She found herself grumbling sleepily as it slowly dawned on her that she would die of thirst before getting back to sleep at this rate, and so she found herself throwing off her warm blankets and exposing herself to the cool air. With great reluctance she sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as her feet touched the ground, glancing around the room to see that Mahiru and Hikari were still sleeping. Especially Hikari. After checking to see that Hikari was peacefully asleep and not having a nightmare of any kind, Karen quietly slipped out the door and into the hallway.

That was odd. Was there supposed to be a light on in the kitchen? Karen tiptoed closer, prepared to fight whatever intruder had showed up and decided to raid the kitchen at 2 AM. She listened for any noise. Nothing. Was anyone even there? Karen cautiously peeked around the corner to get a visual.

Maya? What was Maya doing in the kitchen? There she was, just sitting at the table by herself. Karen noted the mug she was cradling in her hands. Was she thirsty too? Completely understandable. Still making sure her footfalls were light, Karen left her hiding spot and entered the kitchen properly.

"Tendou-san? You couldn't sleep either?"

Karen was under the impression that Tendou Maya was unflappable, that no matter what kind of curveball was thrown at her she would catch it with grace and composure. That did not match the apparent reality, where merely announcing her presence had caused her to jump ten feet. Karen could only stare at this jittery, trembling girl who resembled Tendou Maya, who was staring right back.

"G-go back to bed." Was that a stutter? Did Tendou Maya just stutter? Something was wrong, very wrong, and it needed to be fixed.

"Are you okay?" Karen asked, drawing closer. Maya seemed to withdraw into herself as Karen approached, the clattering of the tightly-clutched mug against the table intensifying with the decreasing distance.

"I'm alright. Go back to bed." There was something in Maya's voice. It seemed strained, like she was holding something back. Karen continued with her approach, noting the way Maya's shoulders seemed hunched together, as if to appear smaller. Karen's eyebrows knitted in concern. It was strange to see that from someone who carried themselves so proudly.

"You're shaking," Karen stood across the table from Maya. "Are you cold?"

"Aijo-san," Her voice was still strained, but now she seemed to be trying to sound cold and intimidating. The keyword being "trying". "This is something personal. I will ask you again to go back to bed."

Karen shook her head. "Non non dayo. Something is wrong." She pulled up a chair and sat down. "I won't leave until you tell me what's wrong."

The response she got was silence. Long, uncomfortable silence, silence that lasted for minutes on end. Karen could only watch as Maya stared blankly into the mug, her only movements being the shaking that seemed to be getting worse.

"Are you okay?" She asked again as she noticed that Maya's breathing had grown heavy. More silence. "Tendou-san?"

"...Promise me," Her voice was hoarse now, "promise me you won't tell anyone about this."

"Okay."

"Promise me, Aijo-san."

Karen put her hand over her heart. "I promise! Nobody will know, this will just be between us!"

Maya looked up at her. Her eyes, normally sharp and full of confidence, were dull and empty. Her stare didn't reach Karen's eyes, instead landing off in the distance somewhere. She looked tired. It was almost unsettling. "Good."

A single tear ran down her cheek. It was followed by another, then another, until she was fully weeping. She buried her face in her hands as small sobs wracked her body.

"Tendou-san!" Karen shot up and rushed to Maya's side. "Tendou-san, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Maya couldn't answer, her body shaking as she continued to cry into her hands. "Tendou-san!" She placed a hand on Maya's shoulder in an attempt to reassure her. It had little effect.

Karen watched. She watched as Tendou Maya, the top star of Seisho Academy, cried her eyes out in the kitchen at some ungodly hour in the morning. Was this even real? Or had she managed to fall back asleep, and was now just having a very realistic dream? Whatever it was, she felt strangely helpless. She watched as Maya's shoulders shook with every breath, listened to every choked sob. It hurt her, it made her sick to see Maya like this. What had happened to bring her to this state? Karen couldn't imagine it, she could only try to fix whatever had broken inside her. Gently she stroked Maya's back, murmuring reassurances and hoping they would be heard. It seemed as though Maya had been crying for hours by the time she finally fell silent.

"Tendou-san," Karen said, squeezing Maya's shoulder, "do you need anything?"

Maya shifted, and Karen found herself being pulled into a hug. It wasn't a particularly tight hug or anything, but the fact that Tendou Maya was hugging her made her brain short circuit for a moment. She could even feel a few stray tears soaking through her shirt as Maya nestled into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like this," Maya mumbled. "Sometimes things are...too much for me to handle."

Karen nodded. It was a little hard to wrap her head around the idea that Tendou Maya had trouble handling anything, but the evidence was right in front of her, burying her face in her shoulder. "It's okay. People cry sometimes."

"Mmm…" There was another long period of silence. Karen held onto Maya, listening to her breath, feeling her heartbeat. A slight blush crept across her cheeks.

"Aijo-san."

"You can call me Karen, it's okay."

"Karen." It felt weird, hearing Maya say her name like that. But not in a bad way. She decided she liked it. "Thank you, Karen."


End file.
